Should staff working from home be monitored?

Should Staff Working From Home Be Monitored? Why Duty of Care Extends Beyond the Office

In one form or another, working from home is here to stay.

What began as an emergency response during COVID-19 has evolved into a long-term model for many organisations. Employees now expect flexibility, while businesses see the cost-saving and productivity benefits of remote work.

But with opportunity comes responsibility. When your staff work from home, their home becomes their workplace. That brings serious safety and wellbeing considerations, and employers can no longer afford to ignore them.

So how should organisations approach remote worker safety and wellbeing? Let’s dive into the challenges, responsibilities, and practical solutions.

Should Remote Workers Be Monitored?

When staff work from home, three questions often arise:

  • Should they be monitored for productivity?
  • Should they be monitored for safety?
  • Should they be monitored for wellbeing?

While the productivity debate is ongoing, the answer for safety and wellbeing is clear: yes.

Imagine this: A team member trips in their living room during work hours, hits their head, and loses consciousness. Who would know? Who would help?

If an employee is injured while working at home, the organisation still has a duty of care. That means exposure to WHS obligations, notifiable incidents, and workers’ compensation claims.

The grace period for COVID-19 is over. Regulators and courts are tightening their stance on workplace safety, including when the workplace is a home. In some states, serious criminal penalties now apply for failing to provide practical safety measures for remote workers.

The regulator will ask:
“What systems were in place to monitor the safety of staff while working remotely?”

If your answer isn’t good enough, your organisation could face significant legal, financial, and reputational consequences.

Balancing Privacy and Safety

Understandably, many employees worry about privacy. Nobody wants to feel like they’re being watched in their own home.

The key is balance. Just as we balance safety and privacy at traditional worksites, the same applies in home-based workplaces. With the right tools, you can protect staff without intruding on their personal lives.

That’s where technology like My Safety Buddy becomes essential. It focuses on emergencies and wellbeing, not on micro management.

What to Look for in a Remote Worker Safety System

If you’re considering ways to monitor the safety and wellbeing of your remote staff, your system should deliver on eight core requirements:

1. Utilise Multiple Layers of Protection

A strong system combines:

  • Supervision: Managers retain oversight where needed.
  • Communication systems: Workers and supervisors can check in seamlessly.
  • Location tools: Staff can be located quickly in emergencies.
  • Emergency notifications: Workers can signal for help immediately.

2. Provide Visibility and Oversight

Managers shouldn’t have to guess whether staff are safe. The system should provide real-time visibility into worker safety throughout the day.

3. Improve Efficiency

Manual check-ins waste time. An automated system reduces touch points, freeing both managers and staff to focus on their jobs.

4. Reduce Non-Financial Impacts

Beyond financial costs, injuries to remote workers can damage morale, trust, and culture. A safety system minimises avoidable harm and the stress that comes with it.

5. Ensure Compliance

Work health and safety legislation doesn’t stop at the office door. A good system helps you meet duty of care and compliance obligations without heavy admin.

6. Save Money

Manual check-in systems aren’t just inefficient, they’re costly. Automated systems like My Safety Buddy can cut those costs by over 80% while improving outcomes.

7. Stay Flexible

Your business will evolve. Your safety solution must be adaptable and scalable as teams grow, shrink, or change.

8. Build a Positive Safety Culture

When staff see you investing in their safety and wellbeing, it sends a powerful message that you care. That fosters loyalty, trust, and a stronger safety culture.

The Role of My Safety Buddy

My Safety Buddy is Australia’s leading lone and remote worker safety app, designed to address these very challenges.

Unlike clunky manual systems, My Safety Buddy provides streamlined, automated protection with minimal intrusion.

Key Features for Remote Worker Safety:

  • Man Down Alarm: Detects immobility and raises an alert if staff are incapacitated.
  • Duress Alarm: Shake-to-activate for rapid emergency alerts in emergency situations.
  • Welfare Checks: Automated prompts ensure regular check-ins; missed check-ins escalate instantly.
  • Journey Monitoring: Tracks travel safely, confirming arrival at destinations.
  • Emergency Alerts: Real-time notifications give managers immediate oversight.

By combining user-activated, device-activated, and server-activated alarms, My Safety Buddy ensures coverage even if the worker is incapacitated, offline, or out of phone service.

Why This Matters for Organisations

Investing in remote worker safety isn’t just compliance, it’s good business.

Organisational Benefits:

  • Reduced costs from claims, downtime, and regulator actions.
  • Protection of brand reputation.
  • Employer of choice status for prioritising safety.

Manager Benefits (HR, OHS, Operational Managers):

  • Confidence in duty-of-care compliance.
  • Trust that workers are supported and risks are minimised.
  • Peace of mind in leadership decisions.

End-User Benefits (Remote Workers):

  • Feel safer and more in control.
  • Reduced stress and anxiety while working alone.
  • Improved wellbeing and job performance.

Final Thoughts: Healthier, Happier, Safer

In a competitive marketplace, the wellbeing, safety, and productivity of your remote staff can make all the difference.

Healthier, happier, safer, and more supported staff provide better service and greater value to your customers. They stay longer, perform better, and trust their organisation more.

My Safety Buddy helps you deliver on all three fronts:

  • Safety through smart, automated monitoring.
  • Wellbeing through reassurance and support.
  • Productivity through efficiency and trust.

Because in today’s workplace, safety isn’t optional. Wellbeing isn’t optional. And productivity isn’t optional. They’re interconnected, and achievable with the right tools.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Travis Holland

Travis Holland
CEO
My Safety Buddy

Should you wish to discuss strategies to improve your staff’s safety in their work environment, please feel welcome to contact My Safety Buddy.

Passionate about creating safer workplaces our goal is to enhance wellbeing for all concerned whilst also delivering improved operational and financial performance.

Enjoyed this piece? Please share, like, and comment. If you would like to read more, follow Travis on LinkedIn.